Inglewood man died defending his son; now family offers $10K reward

by Don Frances

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Fredrick Martin Jr., an Inglewood resident who worked in Pasadena, died protecting his son Fredrick "Tre" Martin III. Martin family

An Inglewood family is offering $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of whoever killed Fredrick Martin Jr., whose last act was shielding his 8-year-old son from gunfire.

Last week was a terrible one in Inglewood, with multiple shooting deaths -- and three unrelated shootings on Tuesday alone. But the most egregious incident may have been the one involving Martin, 28, who was helping clean the garage at his grandmother’s house, located on the 3200 block of W. 109th Street, on Tuesday with his son and a friend when they heard gunfire nearby. Martin pushed the boy to the ground and shielded him from bullets.

He was struck in the torso and abdomen and died in surgery at about 10 p.m. that night. His son, Fredrick “Tre” Martin III, suffered a minor graze wound.

Friends and family said Martin, a college graduate who worked as an analyst at a Kaiser Permanente facility in Pasadena, had never been involved in gangs. They said he stayed away from gangs by not wearing certain colors and avoiding certain streets. They also said he was a devoted father who was expecting his second child later this year.

Police were still searching for two suspects believed to be involved in the shooting, but have released few details of the investigation.

Acting Police Chief Mark Fronterotta (Jacqueline Seabrooks, Inglewood’s chief since 2007, announced last week she is returning to Santa Monica) said he hopes the public can help solve this senseless crime. Currently the investigation is not going well, authorities have said.

“Our understanding is that this was a fine young man,” Fronterotta said.